SKC Dominates Portland Timbers at LiveStrong Park 3-1

Portland’s Setup:

     Portland set up in a traditional 4-4-2, as compared to their unusual formation that they used Sunday against Houston. Chara and Jewsbury were the two holding midfielders. Both were lacking aggression and energy, and it showed as Zusi and Espinoza especially controlled the flow of the game. Nagbe was wide left and not only did not see much of the ball, but he was lacking movement in general and was a complete non-factor. Zizzo made some nice runs in the first half, but was substituted for in favor of Alhassan at the start of the second half. He was more of a factor using his speed down the wing to play balls into Cooper. Cooper started again up top with Perlaza and was even less of a factor than on Sunday. It is a mystery as to why he continues to see playing time. Perlaza made an impact with his speed but it was clear he was lacking confidence in his shot because he continually deferred when the opportunity for one presented itself. In some of these instances it hurt his team as he had the chance to test Nielsen and passed to a teammate who was not in a position to do so. The Timbers back four was poor in their clearance of balls played in the air into the box, and that was how two of SKC’s goals were scored. Wallace played left back and Chabala right back as Palmer was suspended, and he was shaky all night and Portland will look forward to Palmer’s return to the lineup.

SKC’s Setup:

     With Jefferson injured and Bravo suspended for his red card in the Seattle game, SKC stuck to their usual formation of a 4-2-3-1 with a few different players and wrinkles. Espinoza and Zusi partnered as the two holding midfielders. They dominated the flow of the game and possession as well. Their defensive pressure on the Timbers midfield allowed for this disparity in possession in favor of SKC. Stojcev replaced Jefferson in the center of midfield, and did not make as much of an impact on the game as Jefferson, but he was solid and effective and proved himself a solid reserve that can be used when needed. Kamara played an effective game, but was not quite involved as much as he had been in recent weeks. Sapong was wide left, but drifted inside frequently and could often be found up top next to Bunbury, and this caused some congestion. It was most noticeable when the ball was on the right side, as Sapong drifted too far towards the middle and because of this wasn’t able to get to a few crosses that he should have been able to get to. The back four for SKC was solid all night, and had good communication that allowed them to keep track of Portland’s forward players.

Thoughts On The Match:

     The main problem from Portland’s perspective was the Chara and Jewsbury were not nearly as aggressive as they needed to be in order to break up the SKC attack. Because they weren’t, SKC controlled the pace and the flow of the game, and were able to create a number of scoring chances that could have led to them scoring four, five or even six goals. This lack of pressure by Jewsbury and Chara was very noticeable on the first SKC goal when a bad clearing header by Wallace led to Zusi unleashing a missile past Perkins. There is no question that it was an excellent strike, but Jewsbury and Nagbe both loafed on their closeout and it made it too easy for Zusi, who had been close on his first few efforts before that.

     Another problem for Portland was that they had no clear link between their back line and their attacking players. Chara and Jewsbury did not have very good distribution, and Nagbe in particular did not come back enough for the ball, which led to too many long balls being played that did not trouble SKC at all. Perlaza made some nice runs but Cooper did not hold up the ball at all and was ineffective finishing in the air, which made him not useful at all. Dike was substituted in for him and made much more of an impact than Cooper.

     SKC pretty much did as they wished throughout the match. Sapong lacked width and it hurt the SKC attack at times, but when the ball was on his side he did well to play out wide. Bunbury showed some selfishness that at times hindered the SKC attack, but his skill and talent still was very evident, especially on the second goal for KC when he one timed a flick on from Sapong that Perkins nicely saved, but right to Zusi who put in the rebound. The flick on was off of a long Besler throw, and after watching the last several SKC matches, teams have still yet to figure out how to stop that part of the SKC attack, as it has been very effective for them. The third and final goal was very lucky but it signified the type of night it was for Portland. Brunner cleared the ball directly off of Saad and right over Perkins’ head to give SKC a 3-0 lead. It was Saad’s first MLS game as well as his Birthday, clearly another sign that Portland could do no right.

Conclusion:

     Portland, in my opinion, is not using its best combination of players. They are still not out of the playoffs and some changes in their personnel could lead them to getting back on the winning track. Cooper needs to be sat down on the bench for the foreseeable future, and Nagbe needs to be moved into the middle with Alhassan replacing him wide to the left. This would inject some energy into the Portland lineup as well as speed. It also has to be said that these last two games for the Timbers were on the road, and Portland is most definitely a better team at home.

     This game was a great sign for SKC, as they were missing two very key players and were still able to pick up three points. If it were not for their total lapse at the end of the Seattle game, SKC would still have their unbeaten streak. Either way they look like a team that could be dangerous come playoff time.

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Seattle Breaks Sporting Kansas City’s 14-Game Unbeaten Streak in Stunning Fashion 2-1

 

Seattle’s Setup:

     Seattle set up in their usual 4-4-2. Scott got the start at left center back, only his second career start at center back and had an up and down match. Carrasco played in the center of midfield mostly in front of the heat-seeking missile Ossie Alonso, who played in his usual holding midfield spot. Montero and Levesque partnered up top, with neither player proving to be effective. Rosales and Fernandez played wide right and left. Fernandez made little impact on the match, while Rosales was the key cog in both of Seattle’s late goals that gave them three points.

Sporting Kansas City’s Setup:

     Sapong’s start at striker came as a surprise, considering how well Teal Bunbury had been playing. Kamara and Bravo patrolled the wings, with both making many diagonal runs inside behind the defense. The only impact Bravo had on the match was his red card, while Kamara played an exceptional match. Jefferson played behind Sapong, with Zusi playing in a right central midfield role and Diop playing the holding midfield role in place of the suspended Espinoza.

The match, tactically, could be broken down into two parts, before the Bravo red card and after.

Before the Bravo Red Card:

     The first 20 minutes was somewhat back and forth until a long Besler throw into the box that Kamara headed in gave SKC a 1-0 lead. Kamara beat Scott for the header, and coach Sigi Schmid, in his first half interview, was displeased with the official because he felt Kamara ran out of bounds and came back in, which would have nullified the goal. It was an extremely physical game that saw a number of fouls and some chippiness from both sides. Seattle struggled with their passing out of the back, and with SKC putting some pressure on, Seattle was unable to relieve it in order to advance the ball upfield. Levesque often dropped very deep to try and help but his passing was off and he was ineffective. Montero could not get into the game and showed little movement and aggression that eventually led to him being substituted off early in they second half. It was a very disappointing performance from him and one wonders if he was showing the effects of their midweek Champions League game.

     On the other hand SKC was showing excellent off ball movement, and started to take control of the game after the Kamara goal. They were trying to get the ball wide to play some balls into the box, mostly for Sapong and Kamara who had the advantage in the air against the Seattle center backs Scott and Parke. They continue to show that this formation works very well with their personnel, and Jefferson was making a real impact before he went off with an apparent muscle strain in the 39^th minute and was replace by Sassano.

     In the 55^th minute Seattle subbed Montero and Fernandez out for Noonan and Fucito.

After the Bravo Red Card:

     Bravo was sent off in the 59’ minute for a two-footed studs up challenge on Noonan. After the red card SKC moved Zusi wide left to replace Bravo, and kept Sassano and Diop in the middle as dual holding midfielders to protect the back four and their one to nothing lead. Schmid subbed on Neagle for Levesque and changed his shape. He moved Rosales into the middle of the midfield, behind Noonan and Fucito. He put Neagle wide to the right, and left Alonso as the holding midfielder. Carrasco stayed in the center between Rosales and Alonso. The left wing was wide open and the left back Wahl was able to push far up the field. Here is a diagram demonstrating the changes:

Now that SKC was down to 10 men Seattle was finally able to put pressure on them and possess the ball and create scoring chances. It seemed as the Seattle was too congested in the middle but with Rosales’ movement they were able to tie up the game in the 90^th minute. Rosales played a pass to Riley around midfield and then took off for goal. Riley played a pass down the right wing to Carrasco, who had run up the field to clear room for Rosales. Carrasco played a ball back to Rosales who avoided two SKC defenders who unwisely left their feet and put one off the post past Nielsen. It seemed as though it was some pretty lackadaisical defending from SKC at best. Then just two minutes later Rosales was at it again. In almost the exact same sequence he played it to Riley, blew past Diop who was man marking him, then this time Noonan played it back to Rosales who passed to his left to Fucito who was unable to get off a shot but the ball was deflected to Neagle who netted the game winning goal. It was an superb display from Seattle, and an incredible effort from Rosales who showed little effects of the Champions League Game midweek.

Conclusion:

     It was a blown game by SKC as they were the better team until Bravo’s foolish challenge that put them down a man. Despite that they still looked like a team riding a 14-0game unbeaten streak into the game, but we will have to wait and see what this game does to their psyche.

     Seattle’s Substitutions were no doubt the key components to their victory, and they showed what a true team is all about, picking up the starters when they are not at their best. Seattle needs more from Montero and Levesque however if they are going to challenge LA for the Supporters Shield. 

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Sporting Kansas City Trumps A Chippy Real Salt Lake 2-0

RSL’s Setup:
    Jason Kreis set RSL up in their usual 4-4-2. Schuler replaced the injured Olave and played left center back with Borchers at right center back. Wingert played left back and Beltran played right back. Beckerman played his usual spot in front of the back four and as RSL looked to him to get the attack moving forward. Johnson played wide left and at times was the only source of width in the entire RSL side. Warner and Alvarez played in the center and right of midfield respectively, but switched positions often and failed to make a positive impact on the match for RSL. RSL played a very fluid midfield, with a lot of position flexibility. Saborio, back from his suspension, partnered up top with Espindola. They were the most dangerous players for RSL along with  Beckerman, as was to be expected.

SKC’s Setup:
    SKC set up in a 4-2-1-3. Espinoza and Zusi partnered in front of the back four. Jefferson played in the middle ahead of them, with Teal Bunbury getting the starting nod at striker for coach Peter Vermes. Kamara played wide right and Bravo played wide left. Espinoza and Zusi were very aggressive getting forward and helped to create many scoring chances fro SKC, especially in the first half. Bunbury looked particularly dangerous and may have planted himself ahead of Sapong
for the starting striker role, at least for their next match.

First Half:
    SKC thoroughly dominated the first half of play. They played many long balls up top to Bunbury, with a particular focus on attacking Schuler, Olave’s replacement. They dominated possession by playing a physical and aggressive pressing style, no doubt fueled by the home fans at Livestrong Park. Espinoza was very dangerous taking long-range shots at goal, winning possession in the midfield, and playing service up top to Bunbury and wide to Bravo and Kamara. It was Espinoza’s strike off of a theft of a poor back pass from Alvarez and nifty split of two RSL defenders that gave SKC a 1-0 lead in the 29’ minute of the match. It was a testament to how the entire first half went, with SKC
being the more physical side, and winning the vast majority of possession and 50/50 balls. Just 5 minutes later a long throw-in into the box by Besler that Kamara headed on goal was saved by Rimando, and Bunbury buried the rebound after Borchers lost track of him amongst the scramble. It was a 2-0 lead SKC would never relinquish.

Second Half:
    RSL opened the second half with much more aggression, energy, and pressure on SKC when they had possession. This was to be expected after a lackluster first half performance. One problem RSL had in the first half was a lack of width, especially on the right. Warner and Alvarez were both drifting too far inside, and clogging the middle so Beckerman didn’t have enough space to create offense for RSL. Not only that but they were clearly losing the midfield battle against Zusi, Espinoza, and Jefferson. It looked like the match may take a turn, with RSL starting to take control, when Espinoza went in with a two-footed challenge on Beckerman and was sent off. There is no doubt it was a quick card, and replays showed it was a questionable red card at best, but with all the cards being handed out this season he should have known better. It gave RSL some more momentum to try and walk away
with at least one point. However, despite the plethora of scoring opportunities RSL created fro the remaining 40 minutes or so, they were unable to net a single goal.

Conclusion:
    RSL and coach Jason Kreis should look to replace both Warner and Alvarez in their next match, as they were both highly ineffective Wednesday night. They need to play someone who will give them more width on the right to open up the middle of the field for Beckerman. Saborio looked good after missing a match and was unlucky not to score. Espindola continues to show his talent along with his temper. He was lucky to avoid multiple cards. RSL should be able to bounce back from this game on the weekend.
    SKC seems to have found their formation of choice, and a record of 14 consecutive games unbeaten will prove that. They will need to replace the very effective Espinoza for their next match, which may
strip them of some aggressiveness and creativity on the midfield. Bunbury looks poised to start and continue his good run of form as of late as SKC continue to push for a playoff bid.

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Sporting Kansas City Thumps New-Look Toronto FC 4-2:

Sporting Kansas City Setup:

      Coach Peter Vermes was able to put to use his new playmaker Jefferson, on loan from Vasco de Gama. He patrolled the middle of the pitch and made several nice passes, including one assist to Omar Bravo. Bravo set up wide left but was often found more inside and up top. He made many dangerous runs behind the TFC defense on both of his goals. Rookie CJ Sapong started up top and was hardly involved. He was substituted out early in the second half for Teal Bunbury, who showed a better ability to hold the ball up than Sapong. Kamara played wide right but could often be found drifting inside and even at times on the left. He proved to be very dangerous for SKC, demonstrated by his two goals.

      Espinoza and Cesar patrolled the holding midfield in front of the back line. Espinoza particularly got forward, pushing the ball up the middle and made several nice passes, most notably his assist that led to Kamara’s second goal. They both proved to be aggressive ball winners.

     The back four played fairly well, with right back Myers torturing the TFC substitute left back Morgan in the second half down the right wing. Collin was injured and replaced by Cyrus, who had a rough go, and single handedly gave up one of the TFC goals.

Toronto FC Setup

      TFC coach Aron Winter set up in an interesting formation after making several changes in their home loss Wednesday night to FC Dallas. He played four at the back, with Eckersley getting the nod at right center back to pair with Andy Iro. At Left back, Yourassowsky started after having played left midfield Wednesday. He got forward quite a bit, but at the cost of Kamara getting in behind him and causing trouble for TFC. Frings sat in his accustomed position in the hole in front of the back four. He looked to distribute, but he still did not seem comfortable with his new team yet.

      Santos played in the middle behind lone striker Koevermans. He made no positive impact in the match, often holding onto the ball too long before making up his mind where to go with it. He was dispossessed too many times for his coach’s liking, as he was subbed off just before halftime. Zavarise played on the left side of midfield with the speedy Johnson in front of him at left wing. On the right, Soolsma played alone in front of the right back Viator, who pushed far up the wing in support of Soolsma.

TFC Still Looking for the Right Combination:

      It is clear that TFC is still experimenting at who their best players are after all of their recent transactions. Hopefully management and ownership give coach Aron Winter another season at the helm, as all of this roster change is not conducive to winning. Also it seems that it is not their strategy (variations of the 4-3-3) that is failing them, but the players who are trying to implement it. Now, not playing to his player's strengths may be the fault of Winter, but if he is given time to find more players that fit his style of play, one can see his style being a breath of fresh air to MLS, where the vast majority of teams set up in some variation of a 4-4-2.

     As for the game, TFC looked incredibly dangerous in the first 10 minutes, with Koevermans having 2 clear goal scoring opportunities, but he was not able to convert either one of them. This seemed to take some of the wind out of TFC’s sails, as they went on to concede 3 goals in a less than 10-minute stretch. Kamara was responsible for the first 2 for SKC, the first he biked in off of a deflection of an Espinoza corner, and the second he headed in another ball from Espinoza after beating Zavarise to the back post. TFC was getting torched down their left side, partially because Yourassowsky was pushed too far forward, and partially because they were giving SKC too much space in the center of the field. Santos in particular did not look to track back enough, and with Frings not in his younger days, he was unable to cover the entire midfield by himself. SKC’s 3^rd goal came after a bad Santos turnover that led to Jefferson playing a dynamite through ball to Bravo, who had gotten in behind Viator and Eckersley after some dreadful defending and an apparent lack of communication. Bravo then rounded the keeper to give SKC a 3-0 lead at halftime.

      Santos was replaced just before halftime, and after his dreadful performance, it would be a surprise to see him play in their next game. SKC did much of their damage in the middle of the field where they had wonderful off the ball movement, and Winter should consider playing Frings in behind Koevermans where his distribution would be helpful, or playing someone along side of him because he was not able to cover the middle alone. The energy and enthusiasm of Plata was sorely missed, and if he and Johnson are able to man the wings going forward, it would make TFC’s attack much more dangerous.

      Koevermans proved to be dangerous but he did not receive enough service to get into the match. He netted Toronto’s first goal on a header after he beat the all-star Besler, and that was one of the few opportunities he had one on one with a defender in the air. It seemed as though TFC was starting to build some momentum to get back in the game. Myers beat the young substitute at left back Morgan down the wing and played a grounded cross to Bravo, who was completely unmarked and gave SKC a 4-1 lead with his second goal of the match. It was a nice ball by Myers and a good run by Bravo, but it was some truly dreadful defending by the TFC center backs. Iro was too slowly jogging back and Eckersley amazingly was not even looking as Bravo ran right past him for the goal.

      The substitute center back Cyrus for SKC had a rough go, and it was his botched effort off of a Frei goal kick, that gave Johnson an easy goal to make the score line a more respectable 4-2.

Conclusion

     Toronto is clearly still looking at who they want to move forward with, and with all of their recent roster changes, games like this are not unexpected, especially in a hostile environment like the one at Livestrong Park on Saturday night. As for SKC, it was a dominating performance, and their fans can only hope that they can keep up this form moving forward as they push towards the playoffs.

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Houston v Sporting KC (1-1) – Dynamo Lose their Heads and Two Points at the Death

Houston’s Strategy

     Dominic Kinnear went away from his preferred 4-4-2 and set his side in a 4-5-1. Will Bruin was left on the bench and Brian Ching started alone up top. Brad Davis was used as a deep lying creative midfield player. Danny Cruz was on the right wing and the most supportive attacking player for Ching.

Sporting’s Strategy

     The visiting side from Kansas City set out in their usual 4-3-3/4-2-3-1. Diop played as a holding midfield player. Espinoza was the box to box midfielder and Zusi was the playmaker in the middle. Omar Bravo played off to the left as a winger or second striker. CJ Sapong was the central striker and Kei Kamara tried to find space on the right wing.

Houston Lead in Strange First Half

     The first good chance in the match led to the opening goal. Brian Ching was fouled outside the area to the right. Brad Davis took the free kick with his left foot and bent it over the wall into the corner. The free kick did not have much pace and the “White Puma” Nielsen was only able to come across late but failed to keep it out of the net before smashing into the post.

     The remainder of the first half was quite strange. By about the 40^th minute I said to myself, “how have 40 minutes passed and I have no idea what is unfolding in this match.” Houston were very content to sit back and get to the locker room with the lead. The Dynamo were only able to pass the ball around the defense and struggled to even approach the Sporting KC area.

     Kansas City, on the other hand, used a different strategy. The back four was too committed on sending in long balls towards CJ Sapong. The young and in form striker was not able to win these passes. When they kept the ball on the ground, KC found space, especially through Myers overlapping past Kamara on the right side. Also, Espinoza and Zusi were able to find space between the midfield and defense of Houston, but lacked the final ball to create chances.

Sporting Dominates with Numerical Advantage

     At halftime, Bobby Boswell was brought on for Jermaine Taylor for Houston in a direct center back replacement.

     Just six minutes after the break, the Dynamo found themselves down to ten men. Collin Clark lost out on the ball on the left sideline. He looked frustrated and responded with a lunging off the ground slide tackle into Aurelien Collin. Refere Kevin Stott immediately reached into his breast pocket and sent off Clark.

     With ten men, Houston went to a 4-4-1, relying on Brian Ching to be the pressure release point up top to try and hold up the ball for the home side. When the Dynamo had the opportunity to get forward, they tried to get the ball wide and cross it in for Ching.

     Holding on to the lead with ten was proving difficult and Brian Ching made it more so in the 69^th minute. Ching kicked out at Collin after he had cleared the ball. Once again Referee Kevin Stott sent off a Dynamo player, reducing them to nine men. Seeing the replay, the straight red was justified as the kick by Ching was dirty and unnecessary.  

     Playing against nine men, Kansas City resorted to packing the box and swinging in crosses. This seemed like the only way through the Dynamo defense. Houston committed all eight outfield players towards defending and bunkered down deep into their own half. Even the stats backed up Sporting KC’s dominance; they played in 37 crosses and took 25 shots during the ninety minutes.

     All the attacking initiative paid off for Kansas City in the 90^th minute. Collin received the ball 25 yards out from Espinoza. His left footed shot was deflected and went in past Hall. It may be a bit harsh to say that Hall could have done better since he had such a great match.

Conclusion

     Credit KC for their persistence in seeking a goal and probably deserved all three points.

     However, it would be unfair to criticize Houston for playing a defensive second half. The players did not get discouraged after going two men down. They fought hard and nearly kept a clean sheet, only a lucky long range shot beating Hall.

     Each manager would have left the match feeling disappointment with only a point. Dominic Kinnear will be angry at Clark and Ching for getting sent off with a lead at home. On the other side, Peter Vermes will feel that his side could have scored two and stolen a road win after having a numerical advantage and creating plenty of chances in the second half. 

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